Ablaze – ‘This Bitch Bites’

Melbourne riffsters Ablaze have been kicking up some controversy with their new music video for ‘This Bitch Bites’. The clip for the third single off the hard rockin’ dudes’ debut EP has been shunned by multiple music outlets who’ve labelled it misogynistic for dropping the B-bomb and accused it of being a stock-standard “sexist rock clip”.

But as band manager, video director and self-proclaimed “flaming feminist” Louise Monnington tells Music Feeds, it’s intended as the exact opposite.

The song’s visuals flip rock n’ roll cliches by starring a relatable-looking female protagonist who’s empowered by her own sexuality, rather than being passively objectified by the desires of men.

“When a woman is called a bitch by a male, especially in this context, it is because she is being independent and not conforming to the social construct of what a woman should be,” Monnington explains. “[Like] Halestorm’s song ‘You Call Me A Bitch (Like It’s A Bad Thing)’, [this is] an example of a woman taking the word, used in that context, to a place of empowerment.”

The endearingly tongue-in-cheek clip is fuelled by blazing electric guitars and big, anthemic pub singalong vocals. Fans of Airbourne and AC/DC will dig.